Pete Carroll: Seahawks Involved in Jadeveon Clowney Free Agency 'Whole Time'

The Seattle Seahawks remained engaged in discussions with Jadeveon Clowney throughout his free agency, which culminated in him agreeing to sign with the Tennessee Titans.

Head coach Pete Carroll addressed the situation Monday, telling reporters the Seahawks "were in it the whole time."

"Our offers and stuff early on didn't look attractive to him because he had his mind set elsewhere," Carroll said. "I don't know. It was just a pretty normal process, but he just wasn't ready to make a call early on."

ESPN's Dianna Russini reported in April that Clowney was initially looking to sign for $17-18 million, while CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported his serious offers were generally around $12 million.

ESPN's Dan Graziano called the $12 million figure "the upper edge of their comfort zone" in reference to the Seahawks.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, his one-year deal with the Titans is worth up to $15 million. Colleague Brady Henderson reported the Seahawks had tabled a similar dollar amount earlier in the offseason but subsequently lessened their offers when he turned it down:

Carroll mentioned Clowney's change of agent, which might have impacted negotiations as well. One day before the Titans and Clowney agreed to the deal, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported the three-time Pro Bowler had dumped his agent, Bus Cook.

Seattle certainly could have used Clowney since almost any team would benefit from his presence. His 2019 production (27 tackles, three sacks and one interception) was underwhelming, but he'll presumably be better after having undergone core muscle surgery in the offseason.

Perhaps the Seahawks will come to regret having taken such a hard line in negotiations as the regular season approached.